The anguish is great for Commander Gandoët who no longer has either right or left, and is still holding on to the Belvedere. He will consult with Commander Bacqué and the two men decide to hold on all the same. The Bacqué battalion replaced the Berne battalion and Gandoët ordered Jordy, who was overrunning the 862, to fall back by echelon to the 682.
Our artillery then reacted violently on O 2. In the valley, the situation in Olivella seemed better. A company of the 3rd Tirailleurs and one of the 7th succeeded in dislodging the Germans there and what remained of the 4th Tunisians tightened its investment at the foot of the Belvedere and the Abate pass. Supplies will be sent in the night, and Monsabert. conscious of the mission incumbent upon it and of the solidarity which must prevail in combat. decrees that from now on he will have to defend himself by attacking, at the same time as he hastens the intervention of his other regiments.
Already the Rocquigny battalion of the 3rd skirmishers is hard at work to relieve Gandoët, as well as the Péponnet battalion of the 7th skirmishers which has placed itself under Bacqué's orders.
on the side of hill 700. Things are better due to supplies and reinforcements.
Two anguished nights pass and the 11th company, helped by a company of the 3rd skirmishers, manages to gain a foothold on the unnamed nipple and rim of Hill 862.
But, on the left, the 7th company of Tixier, the Péponnet battalion of the 7th Algerian riflemen, captains Carré and Lartigau of the 1st battalion of the 4th R.T.T. (Commander Bacqué) will only manage to hold on to the slopes of hills 771 and 721, constantly repelled by the still furious German counter-attacks.
Monsabert implores his subordinates to resume the attack on the morning of January 30. It is indeed important to relieve the 2nd U.S. C.A. which will finally endeavor to emerge in the plain, and consequently try to reoccupy 0 2 (hill 915).
On the evening of the 29th, I had myself written General Clark the following letter, so indignant was I to see that the 3rd D.I.A. had fulfilled, at the cost of incredible efforts and significant losses, the mission entrusted to him when the 34th D.I. U.S. had not yet been able to gain a foothold on the heights southwest of Cairo.
Also, I wrote to General Clark:
"If tomorrow the 34th U.S.D.D. manages to bite into the enemy position, as the information which has just been communicated to me at the end of the day allows hope, and to occupy its objectives, the situation of the 3rd D.I.A. will be considerably improved.
"But, if the 34th D.I. U.S. remains on its current positions, I will be obliged to bring back the 3rd D.I.A. as soon as possible. east of the Atina-San Elia road.
"It is not possible for me, in fact, to ask the Algerian division to make a greater effort than that which it has just provided during these last four days and I do not want to take the risk of leaving it soaring isolated on the Belvedere.
I do not have the necessary reserves to supply on the Belvedere a defensive battle which would undoubtedly be very costly, this position being dominated and surrounded by enemy fire and I cannot resupply it as long as the Cairo-Terelle road cannot be used. »